Thursday, February 13, 2014

New Toyota Highlander Hybrid Epic Fail - Toyota Stonewalls

So, I have my year and a bit Highlander, and it completely dies.  You can't get into this thing!  I had to fiddle with my manual key and then had to crawl in and fiddle with the manual trunk release switch.  You won't believe where they hide the 12V battery.  This is just used to boot up the computers, and when it dies you are royally screwed.  But the car drives great if you use a small boost.

So off to the dealership, wait a few hours, and they tell me the battery is fried but there isn't one in Canada.  It's on backorder, and they have no temporary batteries that fit.  The manager himself pleads to stony-faced Toyota to allow a rental car, but they you have to suffer with no car for 10 days before they will issue a rental.  This repair is all on warranty.

So they give me back a car that won't start once turned off.  I am trickle charging it right now, so I can take off somewhere, I just can't turn it off.  Maybe that's okay, because with the super-quiet hybrid, I tend to park it and forget to turn it off.  Big problem with hybrids.

As usual, Toyota has no email addresses, but a form at this link.  I will fill it in with my link to this.  I hope you will too.

You can say:

I will never buy a stinky Toyota unless you give the Fish a rental car.  If I ever do buy one, I will do like he did and buy from the Internet for thousands off, even though you get mad and shaft us.  On second thought, I won't buy one.  On third thought, I hope you get a zillion more recalls.

(include the link)

Added.  Here is a picture of my great arrangement until T can get the lead out of the mountains, and make a new battery.


I just bought the cheapest battery at Costco.  I've put the trickle charger on it because it was only 12.5 V.

Add2:  That battery costs $400!  Good thing it is on warranty.  It has a custom temperature sensor, and the main computer is designed to freak out if any other battery is put in.  The battery just came in.

Add3:  OMG, Panasonic actually conspired to get their crap battery into the Toyota.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/industry-news/the-law-page/panasonic-fined-47-million-for-toyota-canada-bid-rigging-scheme/article17009292/


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